REACTION: PIRATES MAX OUT GROUP WITH BIG WIN IN SCOTLAND

A strong finish over the last three heats of their final group match in the play-offs gave the Wessex Marine Pirates a convincing, if a little flattering, 54-36 victory at Edinburgh on Friday night.

The win secured the already final bound Pirates an unbeaten group record with the maximum ten points.

The six-man Pirates, still without Anders Rowe due to his mandatory concussion stand-down, had skipper Steve Worrall weighing in with twelve points, Richard Lawson bagging paid thirteen and Zach Cook another double figure scorer, all adding support to Kyle Newman who maintained his Armadale love-affair with a paid seventeen score on a night when he was kept busy.

Speaking after his seven ride performance, local lad Newman said "Sorry Matt and Middlo, I think I might have to move up here next year, I quite like this place nowadays. I had a few dicky rides but it was a great night for me, good night for the boys, we got the win we came for, a debut win for our stand-in team manager (Stephen Allen) so good all round and sets us up for the finals. I know Ben (Cook) had a few mechanical problems but hey, it's best to get them out the way in a meeting like this and not in the finals. 
It was hard out there. They prepared the track pretty slick obviously because of the rain and we did have some showers before the start. But as the temperatures dropped so the moisture came up through the track and made it a bit greasy. You just had to ride square on and that is where I am at my best. I am pretty good at throttle control. You just had to get the slide in and come off the gas and let the bike kind of calm down a bit you know. But it is what it is and like I said we got the result and all came through unscathed."
Reflecting on the pace of the meeting, Kyle added "yeah it was pretty hectic at time, I was having some issues with my clutch tonight and for every race it was just a question of getting in as quick as possible, fix this and that, jump on the bike and go. But hey, I don't mind, I'll do what I have to for the team, and if that means going race after race after race so be it. All in all it was a good all round feeling, gives us that extra bit of confidence and now we just wait to see who get."

Poole never trailed throughout the meeting opening an early eight point lead which was cut back to six through five shared heats between seven and eleven with an Edinburgh 4-2 thrown in at heat ten. But the Pirates transformed that six point lead into an eighteen point victory with a brace of 5-1's from Worrall and Lawson in heats thirteen and fifteen whilst sandwiched in between was an equally pleasing maximum from Zach Cook and Newman.

The Pirates will learn the identity of their opponents in the Grand Final on Tuesday when whoever claims the bonus point in the Glasgow v Oxford tie will win Group B. Whilst, in the Knockout cup semi-final, Scunthorpe put themselves in a strong position by beating Redcar 54-36 in the first leg.

Edinburgh 36 Josh Pickering 15 (1,3,3EH,3,3,1,1) ,Michele Castagna 8+1 (2,3,1,1',1) ,Bastian Borke 7+2 (2,2',1',2,0) ,Kye Thomson 3+1 (0,0,2,1',0) ,Lasse Fredriksen 3 (0,0,2,1) ,Dayle Wood 0 (FD,F,0,0) 
POOLE 54 ,Kyle Newman 14+3 (2',3,2',0,2,3,2') ,Steve Worrall 12 (0,3,3,3,3) ,Richard Lawson 11+2 (3,2,2,2',2') ,Zach Cook 11 (3,2,3,R,3) ,Joe Thompson 4+2 (1,1,1',0,1',RS) ,Ben Cook 2+1 (1,1',N2,0)